Finding Safer Solutions To Clean And Fresh Homes

In our last blog, we discussed the fact that many things that we all tend to do in our homes to keep them “fresh” and “clean” actually impact our air in negative ways. Air purifiers and air fresheners were actually pointed out as culprits in the deterioration of indoor air quality. This can be seen as surprising since both types of products are advertised as the kinds that help us to keep our air clean.

One of the key factors that help to determine whether or not a product is good for the air in your home is its smell. Although many products are made to have very pleasant smells, the volatile organic compounds that they contain are simply ruining the quality of the air in our homes. The same can be said about many products we use to keep ourselves smelling clean and fresh. How are they impacting our air?

By now, you may not be as surprised to know that many beauty products can have negative impacts on the air. On BuildDirect.com, Anabelle Bernard Fournier writes that many fragrances are enemies to indoor air quality. She notes that it is actually frightening to discover what is contained in the colognes and perfumes that so many of us buy to endear ourselves to the senses of smell had by others.

“When you look at what your mass commercial beauty products really contain, you’ll probably be as scared as me,” she writes, “Although many of these crazy-sounding chemicals products are indeed safe, there are many others that have questionable health effects. If you want to reduce the toxins in the air (and on your skin) coming from your beauty products, I strongly suggest buying from the Skin Deep cosmetics database.”

Naturally, we don’t just want to keep ourselves smelling great, but most of us like our homes to smell great too. In addition to the air fresheners that we exposed in our last blog, many household cleaning products contain chemicals that can be dangerous to our health. This isn’t even much of a secret. The products often come with warning labels that tell us as much. As Fournier asks, “do you really need harsh, industrial chemicals to clean your windows?”

“Chemicals from cleaning products can be so toxic that warnings appear on the labels,” she reiterates, “But more healthy (and still just as strong) cleaning products have been appearing on the market. Sure, they’re a bit more expensive, but the investment might be worth it now, to save you many healthcare dollars later.” Fournier even points out a personal incident where a cleaning product caused skin damage to her hand!

“True story: I once got a chemical burn from a Lysol disinfecting sheet that has caused me chronic psoriasis on one hand,” she reveals, “As soon as I discovered the culprit, I threw everything away and swore I would never use the stuff again.” It does sound scary, doesn’t it? It will always be important to keep a clean body and a clean home. But it’s even more important to do so without using products that can negatively impact our health.

At DF Technical & Consulting Services Ltd., we’re aware that most people are doing great jobs keeping their homes clean. However, they usually don’t realize that what they’re doing to maintain their clean homes is actually impacting their indoor air quality in negative ways. We offer Air Quality Services to help our clients breathe the purest air possible. For more information, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-855-668-3131 or email info@dftechnical.ca.